KING SIZE ROOKIE: Newcomer Tyreke Evans Having An Early Impact For Sacramento

By ANDRE JOHNSON

Bleacher Report Contributor

It seems that Tyreke Evans has become the most sought-after player for postgame interviews in the Sacramento Kings’ dressing room these days.

Clearly, that was apparent after the Kings’ recent game at the Memphis Grizzlies when a mob of reporters gathered in front of Evans’ locker, waiting for him to finish showering so they could converse with the Sacramento star rookie guard.

Once he was done, it seemed Evans could barely get dressed for all of the cameras and recorders that were immediately pointed toward him. Suddenly, he was thrown an assortment of questions ranging from what’s it like playing on the West coast after growing up in the Philadelphia area, his relationship with Kings coach Paul Westphal, to how he is adjusting as an NBA rookie after one productive season at the University of Memphis.

Fielding each question as if he expected them, the 20-year-old Evans didn’t appear annoyed by the array of subjects he sensed would come up in his first appearance in FedExForum since leading Memphis to its fourth consecutive Conference USA title last March.

“This is where it all began for me, man,” Evans said. “I had a lot of great times here while in college. It was fun coming back and playing in front of the FedExForum crowd.”

Though the Kings were dealt their fourth consecutive defeat by the Grizzlies, Evans, the fourth overall pick in last June’s draft, managed to exemplify why he is among the league’s most thriving rookies.

Besides his 28-point outburst in the loss, he produced the most minutes for the injury-plagued Kings with 37. Evans, in fact, leads all rookies with 36 minutes per contest, and his offensive productivity suggests he has emerged as the catalyst of the NBA’s third-youngest team.

So much so that the Kings, who boasted the NBA’s worst record a year ago, are on pace to eclipse last year’s 17 wins, in large part because Evans’ scoring instincts and versatility have consistently caused matchup problems for opposing guards.

He is ranked in the top 50 in the NBA in points per game (20.5), steals (1.48), and assists (5.2), numbers that essentially resulted into him being named Western Conference Rookie of the Month for the first month of the season.

Additionally, the 6'6" Evans is the top scorer among rookies in the Western Conference. However, he is a close second in the league only to Milwaukee Bucks phenom Brandon Jennings (21.8 points per game), whom many experts believe is the frontrunner for NBA Rookie of the Year.

Evans, of course, insists he isn’t concerned that Jennings (the Eastern Conference Rookie of the Month whom he outplayed in the first of two regular-season meetings between the two in the Kings' 96-95 win Dec. 19) could possibly prevent him from being the second former Memphis player (Derrick Rose, 2009) in as many years to walk away with Rookie of the Year honors.

While he believes winning the award would be an astounding achievement, Evans contends his primary focus is to help resurrect a rebuilding Sacramento squad that could challenge for a postseason berth after the All-Star break.

So far, the league’s most efficient newcomer is as good as advertised.

“That was my main goal, getting to the NBA and playing on a similar level as Tracy McGrady, LeBron James, Trevor Ariza, and Dwyane Wade,” Evans said. “The transition has actually been pretty good. It’s a lot different game than college. As a professional, I can’t create my shot and drive to the hole as easily as I did as a college player.”

Fortunately for Evans, whose nickname is “Big Easy,” he certainly has made scoring look easy, especially in the absence of the injured Kevin Martin, the Kings’ leading scorer who isn’t expected to return until late January. His assertiveness, in many ways, has caught the attention of a number of veteran players around the league.

“There haven’t been one player who hasn’t come through here and said they hasn’t been impressed with him,” said Jason Jones, Kings beat reporter for the Sacramento Bee .

“Dwyane Wade, Gilbert Arenas, Stephen Jackson, and Kobe Bryant have had some nice things to say about him. The main thing is that he is too big for basically every guard he’s faced. What caught my attention was how quick he is. He gets to the basket so easily. He’s going to cause problems for a lot of people.”

Evans credits part of his early success to former Memphis All-American and NBA player Anfernee “Penny” Hardaway. A four-time NBA All-Star, Hardaway served as a mentor, of sorts, to Evans during his lone season at Memphis, particularly after his former college coach, John Calipari, switched him to point guard eleven games into the 2008-09 campaign.

“I told him to always be aggressive, never leave a game knowing that you had more to give,” Hardaway said of Evans.

It’s safe to assume that working with a former big guard such as Hardaway proved beneficial for Evans and the Tigers, who won 26 straight games with him directing the offense. His leadership qualities, in fact, have yet to endure a dropoff since he entered the NBA ranks.

He placed in double figures in the Kings’ first five games of the season. Then, after Martin sustained a broken wrist on his non-shooting hand a few weeks later, Evans became Sacramento’s No. 1 scoring option, tallying at least 20 points in seven consecutive games in November.

More impressive is that Evans has joined James, Wade, and Atlanta’s Joe Johnson as the only players to average 20 points, five rebounds, and five assists this season.

As far as Westphal is concerned, that's pretty stupendous company for a player whom many didn't expect to create much hype in this, his freshman year in the NBA.

“We’re glad he’s on our team,” Westphal said of Evans. “We have a young team, a good future, and he certainly will be a part of it. We think he’s going to have an excellent career.”

Judging by the postgame scene at his locker during his recent stop in Memphis, it seems the media, too, can sense that.

This article, written by Andre Johnson, was the cover story in the January/February issue of Memphis Sport Magazine. To reach Johnson, call 901-690-6587, or send email to: [e-mail].